During AnimeJapan 2025 on Saturday, the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha franchise celebrated its 20th anniversary by revealing the main staff and teaser visual for its upcoming anime, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS Gun Blaze Vengeance. Additionally, the franchise announced more details about the tie-in manga.
Franchise co-creator Masaki Tsuzuki is credited as both the original story creator and scriptwriter for the new anime. Takayuki Hamana, who previously directed Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Reflection and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation, returns to direct the anime at Seven Arcs.
Issei Aragaki (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation, Extreme Hearts, Vladlove) serves as both character designer and chief animation director, while Shuichi Kawakami is credited for the original character designs.
Tie-In Manga Details
Alongside the new anime, the manga adaptation Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha EXCEEDS will launch on Kodansha’s Suiyōbi no Sirius (Wednesday Sirius) service on April 16. New chapters will be released on the first and third Wednesdays of each month.
The key visual includes the tagline:
“Nanoha Takamachi is 13 years old. She is working energetically even today as a mage to help anyone.”
Franchise creator and writer Masaki Tsuzuki is developing the original story concept for the manga, while Shuichi Kawakami (Extreme Hearts original character designs, art for pop-up Lyrical Store, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Innocent game and manga) is handling the artwork.
20th Anniversary Celebrations
The Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha franchise is also commemorating its 20th anniversary with Lyrical Selection (also known as Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha 20th Anniversary Selection).
This television edit version compiles footage from the 2010 film Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st and the 2012 film Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 2nd A’s, which began airing in October.
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Anime
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st (2010) is an alternate retelling of the original 2004 Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime series.
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 2nd A’s (2012) is a retelling of the 2005 sequel anime Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s.
Franchise History and Previous Projects
In January 2020, the franchise announced a new project, though no specific details about its format or medium were provided at the time.
Since then, Masaki Tsuzuki wrote and developed the original anime Extreme Hearts, which premiered in July 2022. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired in Japan.
The Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha franchise first debuted in 2004, launched by writer Masaki Tsuzuki, director Akiyuki Simbo, and studio Seven Arcs with the 13-episode Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha television anime. The series later expanded with four more TV anime:
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s (2005)
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS (2007)
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid (2015)
- ViVid Strike! (2016, spinoff)
Additionally, four theatrical films have been released:
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st (2010)
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 2nd A’s (2012)
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Reflection (2017)
- Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Detonation (2018)
Discotek Media released Reflection and Detonation on Blu-ray Disc in August and September 2023, respectively.
The franchise has also expanded into various manga, novels, and drama CDs, further enriching its long-standing legacy.
